Stewart Finally Gets a Little Bounce in His Step

It was just another run up the middle, but this time, Andre Stewart did something different.

Instead of being wrapped up by another Irvine defender eager to instill a little pain, Stewart bounced outside.

And he made something of it.

It took nearly three quarters, but Stewart finally figured out Irvine’s defense, and the emotional boost helped carry the Sailors to the Southern Section Division VI title with a 19-18 victory Friday over Sea View League rival Irvine.

Needing four yards on third down, Stewart busted off a 43-yard gain, accounting for more yards than he had in his first 15 carries in which he gained 40.

And on the next play, Stewart did the same thing, bouncing outside left tackle and scoring from 18 yards to cut Newport Harbor’s deficit to five, 18-13, with 4 minutes 53 seconds left in the third quarter.

“We started a little timid, but got things turned around in the second half,” quarterback Chris Manderino said. “After the big run, we got some momentum. From a psychological standpoint, that run was crucial.”

Stewart finished with 159 yards in 33 carries, giving him 2,380 yards this season.

The Vaqueros held Stewart to 114 yards in their first meeting in Week 6 of the regular season, a 12-10 Newport Harbor victory. Stewart said Irvine was even better on Friday.

“They were pretty tough,” Stewart said of the Vaqueros’ defense, which held the Sailors to six yards rushing in the first half. “They were stopping me in the middle, but I caught up to their little scheme and started bouncing outside. Then I started getting a lot yards, and they couldn’t catch me.”

After doing very little, Stewart reeled off consecutive runs of 43, 18 and 14 yards, and later added a 17-yard gain. In his first 15 carries, he had only two significant gains, eight and 12 yards.

“He never takes a play off--that’s what we admire about him,” said J.C. Clarke, Irvine’s defensive coordinator. “Most backs would have tippy-toed in the second half.

“He’ll run just as hard for a two-yard gain as for a 10-yard gain. When you run that hard, good things happen.”

“He got us in the second half.”